CD69, HLA-DR and the IL-2R Identify Persistently Activated T Cells in Psoriasis Vulgaris Lesional Skin: Blood and Skin Comparisons by Flow Cytometry

• Published in: Journal of autoimmunity Vol. 14; no. 1; pp. 63 - 78
• Main Authors: Ferenczi, K, Burack, L, Pope, M, Krueger, J.G, Austin, L.M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Elsevier Ltd 01-02-2000; Elsevier
• Subjects: Abatacept; Adolescent; Adult; Aged; AIDS/HIV; Antigens, CD - metabolism; Antigens, Differentiation - metabolism; Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte - metabolism; Autoimmunity; B7-1 Antigen - metabolism; B7-2 Antigen; Biological and medical sciences; Biomarkers; CD28 Antigens - metabolism; CD4-CD8 Ratio; CTLA-4 Antigen; Dermatology; Female; HLA-DR Antigens - metabolism; Humans; Immunoconjugates; Ki-1 Antigen - metabolism; Lectins, C-Type; Lymphocyte Activation; Lymphocyte Count; Macrophage-1 Antigen - metabolism; Male; Medical sciences; Membrane Glycoproteins - metabolism; Middle Aged; Psoriasis - immunology; Psoriasis - pathology; Psoriasis - therapy; psoriasis, flow cytometry, chronic activation, T lymphocytes; Psoriasis. Parapsoriasis. Lichen; Receptors, Interleukin-2 - metabolism; T-Lymphocyte Subsets - immunology; T-Lymphocyte Subsets - pathology; psoriasis, flow cytometry, chronic activation, T lymphocytes; Human; Skin disease; Immune response; Pathophysiology; Psoriasis; HLA-DR-System; Cytokine; Class II histocompatibility antigen; Biological marker; Activation; Blood; Phenotype; Interleukin 2; Immunological investigation; T-Lymphocyte; Skin; Biological receptor
• ISSN: 0896-8411; 1095-9157
• DOI: 10.1006/jaut.1999.0343

Many lymphocyte-activation-associated molecules are observed by immunohistochemistry in psoriasis vulgaris lesional skin. Non-T cells in lesional skin also express these molecules. We quantitatively measured the number of T cells expressing cell surface activation-associated molecules (CD69, CD25, CD122, HLA-DR) and co-stimulatory molecules (CD28, CTLA-4, CD80, CD86), including a Type 2 T cell marker (CD30) and CD11b, by flow cytometry of skin and peripheral blood. T cells in single cell suspensions of psoriatic lesional-epidermis-expressed HLA-DR (86%), CD69 (59%), CD25 (55%), CD122 (44%), and CD28 (91%). Dermal T cells showed similar percentages except for CD69 (17%). CD69 was found directly in lesional skin biopsies by immunohistochemistry. Both CD4 and CD8 subsets from lesional skin contained large populations of CD25+ cells with a bias towards CD8 activation in the epidermis and towards CD4 activation in the dermis. CD86, CD80, CTLA-4, CD30 and CD11b were expressed by less than 23% of the T cell populations from both the epidermis and dermis. CD30+CD4+ cells were found two-fold over CD8+ T cells. These results show that the majority of lesional lymphocytes are persistently activated. We also found the majority of Type 2 associated markers primarily on the CD4+ epidermal T cell population. Psoriatic blood contained elevated levels of T cells expressing CD25, primarily within the CD8+ subset. Thus the majority of lesional T cells expressed the three primary activation markers, while psoriatic blood T cells were distinguished by an increase in CD25, specifically within the CTL population.